Stovetop fires are a well-known residential and commercial hazard. An unattended stovetop fire, for example a grease fire, can cause damage to nearby appliances and cabinets. Worse, stovetop fires can lead to structural damage or injury. Because the propensity for stovetop fires is so pervasive, an efficient means of automatic fire suppression is desired. Even if a stovetop fire is attended, an automatic extinguishing method may be more effective and expedient compared to manual means.
A number of conventional automatic stovetop fire extinguishers, which mount above the stovetop surface, are available. These include: U.S. Pat. No. 6,276,461 to Stager; U.S. Pat. No. 6,105,677 to Stager; U.S. Pat. No. 5,899,278 to Mikulec; U.S. Pat. No. 7,472,758 to Stevens and Weintraub; U.S. Pat. No. 7,610,966 to Weintraub et al; U.S. Pat. No. 5,518,075 to Williams; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,884,307 to Williams. The array of conventional fire suppression systems vary from pendulum swing apparatus (Stager '461), to canister systems (Williams '307 and Stager '677), or to tube connecting systems for liquid effluent (Mikulec). The mounting mechanism for these systems similarly vary from interconnected tubing (Mikulec) to pendulum anchors (Stager '461), to bolts (Stager '677), or to magnetic systems requiring assembly (Williams '307 and Williams '075).
Conventional fire suppressors which are particularly well suited to a stovetop environment include a container of an extinguishing agent and are mounted to a vent hood above the stovetop. An example of such an extinguisher is shown in FIG. 1. The bottom wall or lid 20 of the container 40 contains a fuse 10. A fire on the stovetop ignites the fuse 10, which in turn detonates an igniter 30. The igniter 30 opens the bottom 20 of the container 40, thereby allowing the disbursement of the extinguishing agent 49 onto the fire and the stovetop. The container is secured via a magnet 50 to a hood over the stove. Clevis pin 56 has a shoulder 52 and a felt washer 58 is sandwiched between shoulder 52 and an inside of the top 48 of the container 40. A clevis pin 56 passes through a hole in the top 48 of the suppressor container 40. The clevis pin 56 has a shoulder 58 on an inner side of the container 40 and is held in place by a retaining ring 55 on the outside of the container. Through the eye 53 of the clevis pin 56, a ring 57 is threaded and the same ring is attached to an eyelet 59 of a magnet housing 54 forming a mounting mechanism for the stove top fire suppressor.
Although not shown, the ring 57 attaching the magnet housing to the clevis pin 56 is split, similar to a conventional split ring or key ring. In conventional practice, the attachment of the magnet-ring 54, 59, 57 assembly to the clevis pin 56, eye 53 is performed by the end user, and may be performed at the time of installation of the stovetop fire suppressor. The mounting mechanism with the split ring connection affords reliable and effective stovetop fire suppressor performance. However, this attachment can be difficult for the end user and time consuming if multiple fire suppressors are being installed. It would be desirable to develop a cost efficient system and method which provides the advantages of the ring-based mounting system without requiring the end user to secure the ring 57 to the eye 53 of the clevis pin 56.
FIG. 2 shows another fire suppressor mounting configuration for use with a system such as that taught in U.S. Pat. No. 7,610,966 to Weintraub et al. This configuration particularly accommodates mounting under a micro-hood. The micro-hood fire suppressor includes a can 40, lid assembly 20, clevis pin 2-56, felt washer 2-58 and a retaining ring 2-55. The clevis pin has an undercut 2-53 near one end and a shoulder 2-52 on the opposite end. The undercut 2-53 in the clevis pin 2-56 mates with a slot on a bracket (not shown) to mount the device in position under the micro-hood. Such a mounting configuration is described in the '966 patent, for example.